A letter to Mia
by IndieGothGirl
Summary: Mickey writes a letter to Mia explaining about what happened to him in the hands of Martin Delaney. COMPLETED. Rated M to be safe.
1. Chapter 1

_Dear Mia,_

_I know you don't really want to talk to me after that night in the Seven Bells pub when I told you about what happened between me and Steph but I felt I had to tell you why I've been shutting you out and why I did what I did that night with Steph and that is why I have written you this letter. What I am going to tell you about is something that is so hard for me to talk about to anyone, ever, that is why I couldn't tell you even though I tried both in the pub and in your car the day before._

_It's been nearly three years since the incident happened but to me it still feels like it was only yesterday. I was working on a case in which a very dangerous and violent criminal was stealing from prostitutes that he was seeing. His name was Martin Delaney, even just writing his name feels me with such a petrifying fear to point that my fingers are trembling as I write this. I got one of the prostitutes to act as bait in a trap to catch Delaney this succeeded and we managed arrest him. Unfortunately there was a mix-up in custody and Delaney escaped and beat up the prostitute who had assisted us. Jack was not pleased and so I decided to make amends by going after Delaney myself without back-up which was a stupid, foolish thing to do. Eventually I tracked Delaney to an abandoned warehouse near Larkmead Station. Unfortunately Delaney managed to knock me unconscious with a spade he had found in the warehouse._

_When I came to I found I was tied face down to a table with Delaney stating over me, taunting me. I'll never forget what happened next no matter how long I live. Delaney pulled down my trousers and then removed his own and then he raped me. I've never felt so humiliated as I did then; the pain, the blood and the fact that as a trained police officer I wasn't man enough to stop another man over-powering me and taking my body without my consent; running his hands over my chest and trickling them through my hair. That's why I want us to take things slow, why I flinch ever so slightly when you try to caress me._

_I know the journalist reporting on the spoiled was only doing his job but he dragged every back up for me when he asked those questions. My worse day is court was the day I had to give evidence for my rape. I'm sorry I walked out of the interview that day but those questions although intended to be innocent just dragged everything back up. That is why I snapped at you to leave it. _

_I understand if after reading this and discovering the truth you're ashamed and disgusted by me and never want to have anything to do with me again after all who wants to be with someone who's body has been used._

_Yours,_

_Mickey _


	2. Chapter 2

Disclamer:- ok I know I thought to but this on the last chapter so I'm doing it now. Mickey, Mia do not belong to me I just use them for my fics.

Authors notes:- Words in **Bold **type are Mia reading Mickey's letter and words in _Italics _are Mia's thoughts.

Chapter 2

The sound of the letter box clanking shut awoke Mia early one Saturday morning.

_Great, _she groaned to herself, _just when I hoping to get a lie-in I get rudely awoken by the postman. _She clambered out of bed and put on her dressing gown and made her way downstairs to collect the post.

Bills, bills and more bills lay upon the mat under the letter box. Mia picked them up despondently. It seemed to her as if she did nothing but pay bills these days. Mia took the bills into the living-room and began to open them. Most of them were bills for the house but there was a credit card bill amongst them.

When she was half-way through the pile Mia spotted an envelope that didn't look like it contained a bill at all. For one it was just an ordinary envelope, not one with the plastic bit over the name and address like the ones for the bills were, and the address had been hand written on the envelope with black biro. Mia studied the hand-writing and realised it was Mickey's.

Mickey Webb was the last person Mia wanted to hear from after the way he had treated her other the past few weeks and she certainly didn't want to read a letter from him that was full of lame excuses for what had happened between him and that Steph woman. The guy was even more pathetic than Mia thought he was if he couldn't even apologise to her face to face and had to write it in a letter.

Mia flung the letter on the table and then grabbed her coat, bag and car keys and went off to the supermarket.

Mia found herself unable to concentrate on her shopping as her mind wondered to the letter that Mickey had written. What if there is more to it then just him apologising for the Steph incident? Mia had found it hard to accept what Mickey had done with Steph as she had thought he was different from all her other ex-boyfriends.

_Ha! _she thought contemptuously, _All men are the same their all cheats, liars and scumbags. They say they love me and they would never do anything to hurt me and then they sleep around behind my back and Mickey Webb is no different! Well I suppose he was honest enough to tell me about Steph well eventually anyway. None of the other cheaters had done that I had to find out about their infidelity from friends or even worse through idle gossip that I had unintentionally heard_… _perhaps I should at least take a look at Mickey's letter._

When Mia returned home she just dumped her shopping upon the kitchen floor and opened Mickey's letter with great enthusiasm. It was written on a folded up lined and margined A4 sheet of paper and had the same hand-writing in the same black biro as the envelope. She began to read:

**_I know you don't really want to talk to me after that night in the Seven Bells pub when I told you about what happened between me and Steph… _**

_Too right I don't want to talk to you after that night you upset me, Mickey, I thought you and me had something special but obviously I'm just another women for you to have sex with._

…_**but I felt I had to tell you why I've been shutting you out and why I did what I did that night with Steph and that is why I** **have written you this letter…**_

_I think you told enough that night in the pub. _

…_**What I am going to tell you about is something that is so hard for me to talk about to anyone, ever, that is why I couldn't tell you even though I tried both in the pub and in your car the day before..**._

_That sounds quite serious perhaps there is more to this than just him making feeble excuses for sleeping with Steph. I'd better read on._

…**_It's been nearly three years since the incident happened but to me it still feels like it was only yesterday. I was working on a case in which a very dangerous and violent criminal was stealing from prostitutes that he was seeing. His name was Martin Delaney, even just writing his name feels me with such a petrifying fear to point that my fingers are trembling as I write this I got one of the prostitutes to act as bait in a trap to catch Delaney this succeeded and we managed arrest him. Unfortunately there was a mix-up in custody and Delaney escaped and beat up the prostitute who had assisted us. Jack was not pleased and so I decided to make amends by going after Delaney myself without back-up which was a stupid, foolish thing to do. Eventually I tracked Delaney to an abandoned warehouse near Larkmead Station. Unfortunately Delaney managed to knock me unconscious with a spade he had found in the warehouse..._**

_Nice story, Mickey, even if in some parts you're not making sense: "even just writing his name feels me with such a petrifying fear to point that my fingers are trembling as I write this." What has that got to do with anything? This guy must have affected you somehow but what has that got to do with you and me or you sleeping with Steph?_

…**_When I came to I found I was tied face down to a table with Delaney standing over me, taunting me. I'll never forget what happened next no matter how long I live. Delaney pulled down my trousers and then removed his own and then he raped me... _**

_Oh my God, Mickey! This is what you were trying to tell me! No wonder you bottled out this would be practically unspeakable for anyone let alone a bloke and all this time I've been hounding you to share your past with me and then getting frustrated when you haven't. I'm sorry Mickey if I'd known or even suspected that the reason you were so secretive was because you'd been a victim of something as brutal as this then I wouldn't have kept on at you but I thought it was because of what happened with Liz. _

**_..I've never felt so humiliated as I did then; the pain, the blood and the fact that as a trained police officer I wasn't man enough to stop another man over-powering me and taking my body without my consent; running his hands over my chest and trickling them through my hair. That's why I want us to take things slow, why I flinch ever so slightly when you try to caress me..._**

_Too be raped most be an awful experience for anyone but, given your job position, more so for you. You're used to dealing with dangerous criminals like rapists practically every day no wonder you feel humiliated and didn't want to tell me. This Delaney took from you something which wasn't his to take; he didn't have that right. He must have been one sick man to do something like this to someone especially to a trained police officer. Yeah I can understand you wanting to take things slowly and now I know why I'll go as slowly as you need to you needn't worry about that._

…**_I know the journalist reporting on the spoiled meat case was only doing his job but he dragged every back up for me when he asked those questions. My worse day in court was the day I had to give evidence for my rape. I'm sorry I walked out of the interview that day but those questions although intended to be innocent just dragged everything back up. That is why I snapped at you to leave it… _**

_I remember that day. I remember you reading too much into the journalists questions and acting all suspicious and defensive and me thinking you were over-reacting when you walked off after he asked the "worse day in court" question and the "is there a criminal that's affected you more than the others" question but I understand now why you walked out because like you say those questions would have dragged everything back up._

…**_I understand if after reading this and discovering the truth you're ashamed and disgusted by me and never want to have anything to do with me again after all who wants to be with someone who's body has been used._**

_Oh Mickey I could never be ashamed or disgusted by you because of this. Now that you've told me I feel more in the loop and your behaviour the last few weeks makes more sense because of the rape you can't handle being intimate with another person. I must have seemed so over-bearing these last few weeks. I'm sorry, Mickey. _

_I don't think you body has been used – you've just had you innocence taken – and this isn't going to stop me from wanting to be with you, ever, because I know we can deal with the outcome of this revelation together. I love you Mickey Webb and nothing, not even this is going to stop that. I don't know why I'm just thinking all this to a piece of paper, though, when I should be saying it aloud to you, face to face._

As soon as Mia had that thought she knew it was true and so she made a pact to herself to confront Mickey the next morning at work and let him know that she was here to support him.


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: - I do not own any of the characters in this chapter I just borrow them for my little fics.

Author's Notes: - Words in **_Bold Italics _**are dream sequences and words in _Italics _are character's thoughts. I also have written Mickey with his Essex accent so when words like "fing," "fink." " 'er" appear they aren't misspelled its just the way Mickey speaks.

Chapter 3

_**As he awoke the young, blonde-haired man found himself with another person's hands pinning him down to his own bed. He looked up to see who the hands belonged to and found an older man on top of him. The young, blonde-haired man's heart skipped a beat when he realised whom the older person was.**_

'_**No!' he screamed in panic, 'Get away from me!'**_

_**The older man began running his fingers through his young companion's hair. The young man tried to pull away but he was instantly held down by the older man's hands around his throat, almost choking him.**_

'_**Oh why are you trying to resist me, DC Webb?' said the older man in his soft Scottish drawl. 'I know you want me. I want you.' **_

'_**No! I don't want you,' cried back the young man, 'I want Mia! She's the one I love; the one I want to have touching me not you.'**_

_**The older man laughed mockingly. 'Mia doesn't want you. You've been used. You're dirty. Mia's too classy a lady to want to have anything to do with a male whore like you but I want you, Mickey, I want to take you like I did in the warehouse, remember? I think you're pretty. So pretty and so young who wouldn't want to take you but your mine all mine!'**_

'_**I'm not yours, I'll never be yours! If I belong to anyone its Mia she loves me and I love 'er!'**_

'_**I've already told you, Mickey, Mia doesn't want you not after the Steph incident and your little letter? You think that's gonna help ye? Mia's going read that and be so disgusted to know her boyfriend, the big, strong, fit policeman couldn't stop another man from over-powering him and taking his body. You're a dirty little scumbag who couldn't stop me from taking you.'**_

_**Then the older man kissed his captive on the lips over and over while the young man struggled to get free.**_

Mickey awoke with tears streaming down his face and his body shaking. At first his mind didn't register that he had been having a dream and his throat tightened as he imagined Delaney's hands around his throat. When he realised that it was a dream and that his bloody rapist wasn't actually in the room with him he laid back on the bed. It was then that he realised that it was Sunday. That meant it would have been a day since Mia received his letter and she was bound to have read it and have time to think about what it all meant by now. His stomach churned sickly at the thought of Mia reading it and knowing about him; knowing what he was; what he hadn't been able to stop. His mind raced back to what Delaney had said in his dream:

'**_Mia doesn't want you. You've been used. You're dirty.' _ '_Mia's going to be disgusted to know her boyfriend, the big, strong, fit policeman couldn't stop another man from over-powering him and taking his body. You're a dirty little scumbag who couldn't keep his stop me from taking you.'_**

_It may have only been a dream_ _but its true, innit? Mia's going to be even more disgusted with me now than she was over the Steph fing and who wouldn't be, knowing what Delaney did to me? I suppose the best fing to do would be just to avoid 'er as much as possible._

So that's what DC Mickey Webb decided to do as he got ready for work that morning: to avoid Mia Perry as much as possible. After all it's a big nick how hard can it be too do?

Mia Perry awoke before the alarm clock on Sunday morning. Even the resident male blackbird, who sat on the television aerial of Mia's house, wasn't up singing his morning song yet.

Not that being up this early bothered Mia today as she hadn't been able to sleep much anyway, thinking about how she was going to confront Mickey over the truth about his past. Mia had spent most of the night wondering how a person confronted another about something as serious as being the victim of a rape until she realised she was going round in circles and that she'd best stop thinking about it and get some sleep before the dawn broke.

By the time Mia arrived at Sun Hill station, parked her car, made her way into the reception and up to CID she still hadn't thought of away to bring up Mickey's rape in a conversation with the young DC.

Mia felt a little guilty about the feeling of relief she felt when she entered the CID office to find Mickey's desk empty. At least it gave her more time to think about how to confront the issue. She knew Mickey had a lot of pride and dignity and she didn't want to go about destroying that by dragging all the bad memories up for him, making him feel dirty and used. If only there was someone she could confide in about all of this. Someone who Mickey was close to and you knew what had happened between Mickey and Delaney but who? Mia's thoughts were interrupted, when suddenly; the DCI's office door swung open and she heard him call:

'Phil, Zain! My office now!'

_Of course: the DCI. He and Mickey have a very close friendship therefore if anyone knows what's gone on between Mickey and Delaney and how I should confront the issue with Mickey it's him._

Feeling much better now that she knew there was someone who could help with confronting the issue Mia made her way out of the office. As she made her way down the corridor she passed Mickey on the stairs.

'Ah!' she began, softly, 'I was wondering when you were going to show up today.'

'I thought you wouldn't 'ave wanted to speak to me after the Steph fing.'

'Well I've forgiven you,' she admitted, 'so don't I at least get a good morning kiss for that?'

'Yeah, sorry,'

He leaned in closer and kissed her softly on the lips but Mia couldn't help notice his tension and discomfort as he did so.

'Anyway best get on,' said Mickey, suddenly.

With that he continued on up the stairs and into the CID office.

When Mickey arrived for work that morning the first person's car he saw in the staff car park of Sun Hill station was Mia's

_Oh shit maybe this whole avoiding Mia fing is going to be harder than I thought._

His prediction proved to be accurate when as soon as he made his way up the stairs to the CID office he passed Mia on the stairs.

_Well that's got off to a great start, 'asn't it?_

'Ah!' he hear her say, 'I was wondering when you were going to show up today.'

'I thought you wouldn't 'ave wanted to speak to me after the Steph fing.' _Well at least I'm being honest._

'Well I've forgiven you,' she admitted. _Good. Oh no wait that means she's got my letter and read it she knows about me and Delaney, about what that bastard did to me. _

'-so don't I at least get a good morning kiss for that?'_ I can't kiss her not with her knowing what I am but I have to kiss her otherwise she'll get suspicious if I don't and I can't handle that right now._

'Yeah, sorry,'

He leaned in closer and kissed her softly on the lips. _God I hope she didn't notice either my tension or discomfort there._

'Anyway best get on,' said Mickey, suddenly. _I know its bad but I just can't be near 'er now not with 'er knowing._

It was not until about 3 in the afternoon that Mia finally got her chance to speak to Jack Meadows about how to confront Mickey over the rape issue.

Mia knocked suddenly upon the DCI's office door.

'Come,' cried the DCI in his Yorkshire accent.

Jack was quite surprised when it was Mia who entered his office.

'Mia? Is everything alright?'

'Well I was wondering if I could have a word with you,' began Mia, 'about Mickey.'

'Mickey?'

'Yes.'

'Very well then.'

'Well,' began Mia unsure of how to begin, 'I received a letter from Mickey yesterday in which he told me about what had happened in his past. He told me all about Martin Delaney, Jack, and how he'd been raped by Delaney.'

'Ah. Well I probably had something to do with that,' admitted Jack.

'You?' Now it was Mia's turn to be surprised.

'Yes. Mickey confided in me after the journalist re-surfaced his memories of Delaney just when he believed things were going right between you and him. He knew he was pushing you to the limit but he didn't know what to do so I tried convincing him to tell you the truth about his attack.'

'Ah. That explains a lot.'

'It does?' said Jack confused.

'Twice before he sent the letter he tired to explain to me what had happened but the words must have proved too hard for him to say because he bottled out both times. Taken that into account I just don't know how to bring the issue up with him, Jack, reading the letter it became obvious that, even after all this time, he still feels humiliated and ashamed by what happened which is understandable.'

'Yes,' agreed Jack. 'I think he does still feel humiliated and ashamed plus he told Liz about his rape and then she went and betrayed him maybe he feels if he tells you about it you'll do the same.'

'Ah but I wouldn't hurt him like she did. I want him to know that I love him and that I'm going to support him with this.'

'Perhaps things would be easier if I had a word with him first?' suggested Jack.

Mia agreed after all Mickey trusted Jack and so Jack reassured her that he'd have a word with Mickey as soon as he returned from his refs.

True to his word Jack summoned Mickey into his office as soon as the young DC returned from his refs.

'Gov is everyfing alright?' asked the young man.

'Mia came to see me today,' began Jack getting straight to the point, 'she got your letter.'

Mickey looked down suddenly feeling horribly, horribly ashamed.

'She's not ashamed of you, you know, Mickey. She loves you and she wants to support you now she knows what happened between you and Delaney.'

'Yeah,' muttered Mickey without once looking at Jack.

Jack didn't like the young man's negative tone.

'Its true, Mickey,' he pleaded, 'look just go and have a word with her you might be pleasantly surprised, please.'

'Ok but only 'cause it's you what's telling me too. I wouldn't do it if it was anyone else telling me to, you know.'

Jack couldn't help smiling at that as Mickey left the office.

'Mia,' called out Mickey as he saw her descending the stairs outside of the CID office.

The Press Officer turned round to see Mickey behind her.

'Mickey, you ok?' asked Mia concerned.

'Yeah…its just Jack's had a word with me and hold me you'd been to see him and explained how you'd got the letter and that you ain't ashamed and everyfing and I fink maybe we should talk.'

'Ok,' said Mia. _Finally._

'I'm sorry I wasn't able to tell you this stuff, Mia, it's just that it was too hard for me to say even though I did try to those times-'

'Its ok,' Mia interrupted, 'I understand now.'

'I know I just didn't want you to fink of me as summick dirty.'

Mia touched his arm with affection and concern but Mickey was caught off guard and so he flinched from her touch.

'Sorry,' said Mia as she pulled back.

And it was worse than before, worse than Jack and half the relief knowing, because now Mia, the women whom Mickey thought was special; even more so than Liz had been before she'd betrayed him, knew why he'd flinched.

And that was just too much for him to handle.

So he fled.

Down the stairs and through the doors and out into the yard with Mia calling his name behind him.

When Mickey got out into the yard he sat upon the little brick wall that ran along the side the building and covered his head with his hands as the tears trickled down his face.

'Here,' Mickey suddenly heard a Yorkshire accented voice say.

Mickey lifted his head to see Jack Meadows sanding above him. In his hand was a tissue which he held out, offering it to Mickey.

'Fanks,' muttered Mickey.

'What happened?' asked Jack, suddenly.

'Wot do you mean?' snapped Mickey, defensively.

'Well I was watching you from the CID office window, just making sure you were ok,' admitted Jack, 'and one minute you're talking with Mia and the next you're running for it like your life was in danger.'

Mickey stared down at the ground inspecting the cracks in the pavement; anything to stall having to explain to Jack what had happened.

'Mickey,' persisted Jack.

When Jack spoke in that tone of voice Mickey knew there was no avoiding giving his DCI an explanation.

'It was going well with Mia when she touched my arm. She caught me off guard, Jack, and I thought it was 'im gonna hurt me again-' he broke down into tears again. 'Oh Jack, am I going to be like this for the rest of my life? I just wanna be normal again, not 'ave to worry about where 'e is of 'e's gonna come and find me and do that to me again. You'd fink after three years I'd 'ave gotten over this.'

Jack sat down beside Mickey and then rapped his arms around the sobbing young man.

'It's ok he's back inside, remember, you help but him back there. You're safe here, you're safe.'

Mickey made no reply as he curled into the comfort Jack offered him, his head resting against the DCI's chest and his hands clutching to Jack's shirt and all Jack would do was hold him.


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: None of the characters in this story belong to me. I just borrow them for my fics.

Author's Note: Words in _Italics_ are character's thoughts. Words in **_Bold Italics _**are dream sequences. Apologises if this chapter seems a little on the short side I've been having a bit writer's block. Although this is the final chapter of this fic I am on writing a squeal to this fic at the moment.

Chapter 4

Jack and Mickey sat upon the wall that ran around the side of the building. Neither of them said anything and the yard was unusually quiet so that the only sound was Mickey's occasional sobbing and Meadow's words of comfort to the young DC. Suddenly Mickey's sobs turned into little sniffles as he pulled himself away from Jack's shirt, embarrassed by his emotional outburst, and dried his eyes.

'Ok now?' asked Jack.

'Yeah,' muttered Mickey.

'Come on, then, best get back inside.'

He stood up and made his way back into the building with Mickey following him closely.

When they reached the stairs that led up to the CID office Jack went to usher the young DC up them but Mickey stopped him.

'I can't go back in there in this state, gov,' he said referring to his eyes which were red and puffy from when he'd been crying, 'I need to go to the loo to get sumfink to dry my eyes with first.'

'Go on then,' relented Jack.

When Mickey got to the gent's toilets he immediately went into one of the cubicles and gathered a hand-full of toilet roll. Then he made his way over to the sink to dry his eyes, forcing himself to look in the mirror above the sink at the wreck that stared back at him. His skin was pale; an unhealthy white and his eyes appeared shrunken in their sockets. The dark shadows around his eyes were evidence that he hadn't slept much since Thursday when he posted Mia's letter. All in all he looked a nervous wreck and it hurt to look at himself like this as he hadn't looked this bad since the aftermath of the rape.

_Shit is that really me? Is that what Mia saw this morning? Fuck how can she 'ave any respect for me anymore, probably doesn't and Jack what does he fink of me, one of 'is own detectives, sitting there sobbing on 'is chest like a little kid, surely they ain't nuffin more embarrassing than that? God I wish I could just make this all go away; just redo these last three years without Delaney and what 'e did to me ever 'appening but I can't, can I? I've gotta live with this for the rest of my life. Jack says I'm safe now 'cause Delaney's back inside but 'ow can I ever be fucking safe again when all I can fink about is Delaney and if he's gonna come and find me and hurt me again – do that to me again? I don't fink I could handle it if he found me somehow and did that to me again. It was bad enough the first time never mind a second._

He let out a soft whimper of distress and then he made his way out of the toilets, passing DS Phil Hunter, who was coming out of one of the cubicles, on his way.

'Alright, Mick,' asked Phil.

As he brushed past the young DC to get to the sink one of Phil's arms accidentally brushed the back of Mickey's t-shirt.

'Please, please no more,'said Mickey, without a trace of emotion in his voice.

'Mickey?' called Phil, confused and concerned over the young DC's words. He clamped a hand upon Mickey's shoulder in concern.

'Don't touch me!' yelled Mickey.

'Sorry,' replied Phil rather taken aback by Mickey's sudden eruption, 'just making sure you were ok.'

Mickey made no reply as he fled from the toilets leaving Phil puzzled by his bizarre, neurotic behaviour.

Jack sat in this office with a grave look on his face. His thoughts were still on the sobbing young man he'd held in his arms. He was seriously worried about Mickey. It was clear that Martin Delaney and what he had done to him was still having an enormous emotional impact upon Mickey which was something Jack had not expected. This made Jack realise that although he was a senior police officer he had no idea of the long term affects male rape had upon its victims or indeed how he could assist his friend. It made him feel helpless; a feeling Jack was not at all comfortable with. Jack sighed and returned to the one thing he did know how to do: his job.

All day Mia's thoughts had been more focused on Mickey than her work. Even though she now knew of Mickey's traumatic rape she had still been shocked by his reaction to her touch. She had never seen Mickey look as frightened and as vulnerable as he did then. It saddened her to see him like that when he was normally confident and relaxed; joking on with the rest of relief like any bloke would. It was then that Mia remembered that she had made the decision to support Mickey now she knew what had happened in his past and as his girlfriend she was going to live up that decision by helping Mickey overcome his nightmares of Martin Delaney.

Mickey had been embarrassed by his emotional outburst at Phil in the toilets and had, therefore, wanted to spend the rest of the day avoiding Phil and the rest of the relief as much as possible. Many other people would have asked their governor if they could go home because they weren't coping, but not Mickey; that just wasn't his style. Keep working that will keep you from thinking about it and it'll fade back into your mind beneath the good memories in time. That was Mickey Webb's philosophy. So he had spent the rest of his shift out on an enquires and although most of them were mundane and felt a little pointless his outlook had worked, the memories had begun to fade, until his shift had finished and he returned home where there was nothing to do but be left alone with his thoughts.

When Mickey arrived home that evening, after his shift had ended, he immediately collapsed upon the sofa. It had been along day and he was knackered. He closed his eyes and drifted off to sleep:

_**Mickey found himself lying next to Mia in a bed. It was a beautiful, sunlit morning and the birds were singing outside. For the first time in a long time Mickey Webb felt free from his past and happy and contented. He had just spent the night with the woman he loved. Next to him Mia lay still in a deep sleep. He looked over and studied her face with its perfect features and her beautiful, wavy, brown hair. He gently ran his fingers through her hair, stroking it softly and then he kissed her check tenderly so as not to wake her. Mickey lay back on his pillow contented, never wanting this moment to end.**_

_**Suddenly the image shifted and he found himself lying face down on a table in a warehouse; THE warehouse. His trousers and briefs were laying half-way down his legs and his hands were tied at right angles in two vices to the table. There was a man standing over him. Mickey didn't need to guess who he was; he knew. He'd been here once before in his life and many more times in his nightmares.**_

'_**Welcome back, DC Webb,' said the man with a faint Scottish accent.**_

'_**No, no!' cried Mickey, 'I don't want to be 'ere again!' **_

'_**Ah but you must do otherwise why would you dream about this moment, night after night? Remember the day we were in court. The day you claimed I raped you. You lied that day, didn't you?'**_

'_**No!' Mickey managed to shout.**_

'_**Yes you did. You wanted what we did in this warehouse that night as much as I did.'**_

'_**No I didn't!' cried Mickey.**_

'_**Yes you did otherwise why would you be dreaming about it now?'**_

'_**This is a nightmare for me not a dream of pleasure. You're sick Delaney!'**_

_**But he could say no more as Delaney forced his legs apart and began grunting and labouring over him.**_

_Ding! Dong!_

The sound of the door bell of his own front door chiming awoke Mickey for his feverednightmare. He got up, unsteadily, still shaken from his terrible dream. _Damn nightmares I wish they'd just go away. Leave me alone to get on with my life._

He opened the door with little enthusiasm. _Probably just another bloody salesman _trying_ to sell me some crap I don't even want. Why do they always 'ave to call at bloody inconvenient times, ay?_

He was just about to vocalise this last thought to the person on the other side of the door when he realised that it was not a salesperson but Mia.

She was wearing a red lace dress which showed off just the right amount of cleavage without looking like a tart and her hair had been softly curled. She looked classy and beautiful. Mickey thought she looked stunning.

'Mia,' he said, a little surprised.

'Can I come in?' she asked.

'Yeah sure you can.'

They entered the house and sat on the sofa together. They sat in silence for a good while, Mia lying against Mickey's chest while he ran his fingers through her long, sleek hair.

'I was worried about you after what happened this morning,' Mia admitted, breaking the silence.

Mickey looked away ashamed for a moment as he recalled his reaction to Mia's touch.

'Please don't feel ashamed, Mickey,' she said, 'after all you have nothing to be ashamed of. I doesn't matter what happened in your past. I love you.'

'Thanks,' he replied, 'that means a lot to me.'

He cupped her chin tenderly with his hand and said: 'I love you too, Mia.'

Then there lips locked in a passionate embrace. Suddenly Mia pulled away.

'What's wrong?' asked Mickey his voice full of concern.

'Nothing I just think that we should continue this in the bedroom.'

'Yeah I fink we should too,' said Mickey.

Before he could say another word Mia was pulling him up on his feet and the pair of them were racing up the stairs like giddy schoolchildren.

That night, for the first time in a long while, Mickey Webb didn't have nightmares about Martin Delaney or the warehouse or any of that. For Mickey Webb was too busy making love with the woman he loved while outside the stars twinkled above them in the night sky.

THE END


End file.
